How do you get a choice suburban?

[BeachBourbon]

I've noticed that new vehicles have very few choices - still. I don't get why I can order i-pods in tons of colors, but can only choose gray or beige for a vehicle interior? And black, white, gray or beige for an exterior, w/very few exceptions. Ford doesn't even give you engine options anymore in an expedition, and GM tries to curb them at every turn.

Does anyone else find the lack of choices off putting?

 

[SWHouston]

Last time I looked, there were eight exterior, excluding the high dollar finishes,
and three interior colors to choose from, in cloth and leather.

 

[BeachBourbon]

I don't know when you last looked Sam, but I'm not interested in 8 shades of grey (or 50). Yes there is a blue and a red, but only one hue. And changing materials from cloth to leather doesn't change the color, it's still beige or gray. I don't think I'm asking much, I just want to be able to order a white, blue, red, brown, biege, gray or orange interior with ANY exterior color THAT I CHOOSE. I'm not interested in picking from the few options the AUTOMAKER has CHOSEN for me. In the 21st century, choice should not even be up for discussion, it should be a reality. We are a long way from Henry Ford's color choices: Black, Black or black.

 

[SWHouston]

I don't disagree with you, not that I agree with you either.
One thing though, for whatever it's worth, Chevy Customer Service (real GM reps) monitor our post here on this Forum. Your comments may make a difference at some point.

 

[zora]

I don't know when you last looked Sam, but I'm not interested in 8 shades of grey (or 50). Yes there is a blue and a red, but only one hue. And changing materials from cloth to leather doesn't change the color, it's still beige or gray. I don't think I'm asking much, I just want to be able to order a white, blue, red, brown, biege, gray or orange interior with ANY exterior color THAT I CHOOSE. I'm not interested in picking from the few options the AUTOMAKER has CHOSEN for me. In the 21st century, choice should not even be up for discussion, it should be a reality. We are a long way from Henry Ford's color choices: Black, Black or black.

The problem with that is the car manufacturer has to have all those different color interiors sitting on or near the production line and same with the exterior colors regardless of whether anybody actually ever orders them or in what quantity. On any mass produced vehicle that is affordable that is financially impossible. That is only done with low volume high dollar vehicles. That doesnt mean there shouldnt be a few more choices but there is a practical/profitable limit.

 

[BeachBourbon]

The problem with that is the car manufacturer has to have all those different color interiors sitting on or near the production line and same with the exterior colors regardless of whether anybody actually ever orders them or in what quantity. On any mass produced vehicle that is affordable that is financially impossible. That is only done with low volume high dollar vehicles. That doesnt mean there shouldnt be a few more choices but there is a practical/profitable limit.

Zora: althought I agree with you, I see other car companies able to give customers choices and profiting from it. If toyota, hyndai and kia can do it on $25K vehicles, why can't GM do it on $50k vehicles? These suburbans appear to be BOTH High volume AND high dollar and therefore worthy of customer choices. Besides, with lean manufacturing techniques, including JIT, there is no need to have unwanted parts inventory laying around to incur extra cost.